The Planetary Society Weblog
By Emily Lakdawalla
A natural bridge on Mars
Dec. 8, 2006 | 07:00 PST | 15:00 UTC
This image needs little in the way of explanation; it's just plain cool. It's one of a new batch of images released on December 6 by HiRISE. Lava-carved trough in Tartarus Colles, MarsA trough wanders between two hills in the Tartarus Colles region of Mars in this HiRISE image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The trough most likely began as a covered lava tube, but most of the roof has collapsed over time. One tiny remnant of lava tube roof has been left behind as a 25-meter-wide bridge, a natural arch over the trough below. The dusty slope to the west of the trough shows dark slope streaks due to dust avalanches, which fade over time. The visible area is 2 by 1 kilometer in size. Clicking to enlarge shows the image at 1 meter per pixel, a quarter the full resolution of the original. Credit: NASA / JPL / U. Arizona
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Here's a closeup.Natural bridge, Tartarus Colles, Mars Most of the roof of a lava tube has collapsed, leaving behind a small remnant to form a natural bridge across the open tube in this HiRISE image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA / JPL / U. Arizona |
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